After hearing about those 8-year-olds who were planning an attack on their teacher, I started wondering...it seems like the incidence of violence has increased in the past few years. Has the violence really increased or do we just hear about more things thanks to the internet? I think it has increased, but why do you think? When I was in school, the most we worried about was fights. But never killings and shootings. It is scary, isn't it?

Hubby and I were just talking about this last night. I was thinking about the 8 year olds as well....I mean when I was a kid, it just seemed like we knew better. But then I started thinking about it too...and I hate to say it has to do with tv (because I can be a total tv hound!) but we never sat around watching tv and playing video games when I was a kid..we were outside playing or reading...I can't sit here and say it's all tv and video games fault, since we have tv and several video game systems, but I don't let me kids watch or play anything with violence in it. I can be strict about it I guess...my 7 year old is just now allowed to watch Hannah Montana! But I really think it comes down to parents and their kids having no dialog. When I was a kid, my mom knew where I was and who I was with at all times (without cell phones..go figure!) But once again, I knew better than to not tell her where I was. It seems harder nowadays to instill this in my kids. One of the reasons we started using the online public school was because of the things Caeli was picking up on in kindergarten..it was crazy..that and it was overcrowded in private school! She is more of a one on one kid. I think violence has increased because kids don't have a real fear of punishment...the attitude seems to be like..yeah and what are you going to do about it! And the sad truth is that there really isn't much that will be done to them. Even those 3rd graders...they have been expelled temporarily and 3 of them are being charged as children and will probably get nothing more than a slap on the wrist. What does that teach them? I wonder if they truly understand the gravity of what they were planning? It's just scary....

I agree with bishop96. I think a lot of the violence nowadays can be linked to lack of parental involvement and the de-sensitizing that violent tv programs and video games can bring. I think that some of it, too, can be due to home life and what "normalcies" these children are exposed to in their home lives - what can be considered normal behavior to them. It is so heartbreaking to imagine what some of these children must be going through, not that that excuses their actions by any means.

You are so right about the what children are regularly exposed to, not just on tv but at home. I once accidentally cut this guy off in the parking lot at Publix. I mean, it was an accident and he parked and found me in the store. I was alone and 7 months pregnant and he started cussing me out. Guess who he had with him? A little boy no more than 3 years old. I so badly wanted to say something sarcastic to this guy like "Bet you wouldn't have anything to say if my husband were here..." But I was looking at the little boy and you know what? He didn't look scared or sad. He had no look on his face..

Which told me that he was used to it. It was so
sad! What a bully, huh? What a way to be a man! Try to intimidate the pregnant woman.

I think that a lot of it is learned behavior from home, like the little boy that watched his dad yell at Suzy. I have seen kids at my son's b-ball games that get mad and have temper tantrums if they don't make a shot or have to sit on the bench. Guess who has the loudest and most rude parent in the stands?
I have a friend that was in a violent marriage and her 4 year old saw his dad throw his mom out of the house, literally throw her, and the next time she got on to that child he threatened to throw her out just like daddy did. And his attitude is far from perfect at daycare. It really is sad!